Donna Mondelli of Pine Bush was told that the car for which she was trading in her “clunker” at Middletown Nissan Kia had been sold. Above, she displays her check and purchase agreement.

Car lost in 'Clunkers' crush

By George Spohr

Times Herald-Record

August 25, 2009 - 2:00 AM

When Donna Mondelli's 2002 Ford Windstar began needing more repairs, she decided to take advantage of the Cash for Clunkers program and buy a new Nissan Rogue.

Like so many others in the Hudson Valley, the Pine Bush resident was eager to get a $4,500 trade-in credit for a car worth closer to $2,000.

She shopped around and found the best deal last week at Middletown Nissan Kia. Mondelli says salesman John Swiatenko took her $500 deposit, stayed an hour after the dealership closed to fill out the paperwork, and left with a signed purchase agreement.

Mondelli went to her bank to fill out a check for the remaining purchase price, $23,067.50. She called the dealership to double-check the price, made out the check, and set up a date to pick up the car.“Then nobody contacted me,” she said.

For the next few days, she called the dealership. She says the dealership hung up on her and transferred her to voicemail.

Only after she confronted sales manager James Jordan in person did she find out what had happened: Although she had made a deposit on a vehicle and had a signed purchase agreement with the Rogue's VIN number, the car had been sold to someone else.

Jordan said the mistake happened because of the high volume of new-car sales being made. Cars are being sold before they even reach the lot.

“We all make mistakes; it happens,” Mondelli said. “But they never called me. They blew me off completely. You make a mistake, just call and tell me. I deserve that.”

Mondelli said she asked to be put in a similar car. Jordan said he told her that wasn't immediately possible because they wouldn't get a comparably equipped Rogue before the Cash for Clunkers deal ended.Mondelli said she left in tears.

Dealership owner Jerry Goldstein called Mondelli Monday and offered to put her in an identical Rogue for the same price – even though the government rebate program will have ended by then and he'd have to eat the $2,500 difference in trade-in value.

“I want to make her as happy as possible, the best I can,” Goldstein said.